Samantha Hallenbeck: Resume Writing

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Introduction

A resume is an important resource for anyone looking to advance their education or career. Resumes can be written for a variety of reasons including employment and entrance to a college or university. We will focus primarily on those two reasons for this mini-course. The goal of this course is to create a resume that could be used for either an application for a job or an application for college. We will also try to understand how format, length, and content all play a role in the effectiveness of a resume. We will begin by focusing on what a resume is and what they may look like based on their objective. We will also begin to brainstorm what to include on your resume to prepare for the construction of your resume. Lastly, we will reflect on any improvements that could be made to your resume and create a "mock" hiring committee to discuss which applicant is the best candidate based on their resume.

Rubrics

Use these rubrics to help guide you and clearly identify what is expected of each of you throughout the course.
1. Attached find the rubric that you will be judged on for your participation in the discussions each week. Discussion Rubric
2. Attached find the rubric that you will be judged on for your final submission of your resume. These resumes should be created and shared in Google Docs as soon as you begin drafting so that I can offer constant feedback and answer any questions with ease. This feature will also allow your classmates to easily access your resume for review when appropriate. Please share, only allowing others to comment, on your document. Resume Rubric
3. Attached find the rubric for your final assessment, the "hiring committee." Final Project Resume

Unit 1: What is A Resume?

A resume can be defined as a brief description of a person's education, qualifications, and previous experience. This summary is typically used to apply for a new job. You will use the reading to read more about a resume and what should/should not be included. You will also begin to look over resumes.
Lesson 1: What is A Resume

Lesson 2: Analyzing Resumes

Unit 2: Basic Elements of a Resume

A resume should always include some basic information like your name, address, contact information, and education. Beyond that information categories may differ depending on the person behind the resume. For example, someone might use the heading Volunteer Work to list their volunteer experience while someone else may title the category Community Service. The heading should be a true description of the information in the category while grabbing the attention of the reader.

Lesson 1: Resume Elements

Lesson 2: Beginning Your Resume

Unit 3: Writing A Resume

The resumes created in this class will help you in your application process as you leave high school and look towards life after high school. Your resume should be written with a purpose - will you apply to college or begin looking for a job? This unit we will focus on that objective and add it to the resume you have started.

Lesson 1: Writing Your Objective

Lesson 2: Comparing Resumes Based on Objective

Unit 4: Picking A Resume

In this unit, we will finish your resume and begin looking at how an employer may sort through resumes to set up interviews. We have done some peer editing of each others resumes but it is always different looking at resumes from an employer's point of view. When peer editing we are offering each other a supportive third eye to catch any errors or missing pieces. As an employer, you will begin to look for the negatives to help decrease the number of applicants. Employers often do this process rather quickly, spending only between 10 and 13 seconds on each resume before creating a pile worth calling in for an interview.

Lesson 1: Action Words for Descriptions

Lesson 2: Submitting Your Final Resume

Lesson 3: Choosing the Best Candidate

Conclusion

As you complete this course you should feel confident and comfortable including a resume with your application for college or a job. If you are interested in becoming more comfortable with the application process you should look to the next course on interviews which can be helpful for both jobs or college. Some colleges require interviews and almost all jobs require interviews before hiring. Keep in mind that your resume should be constantly adjusted based on its purpose and new experiences. Your resume is a working document that should be frequently edited to reflect more recent or meaningful experience. Having this baseline handy will help you as you move forward and look to apply for additional jobs. I hope that you learned something from this course that you can apply to live as you move on from high school and into the real world.